Heathrow Airport needs to expand in order to attract airlines from emerging markets, chief executive John Holland-Kaye states.

Mr Holland-Kaye claims that airlines are flying to Paris instead of London because there is no room for them at Heathrow Airport. He also says that Heathrow’s third runway plans have recently been improved to ensure that noise and disruption are reduced, reports express.co.uk.

Although Heathrow’s passenger traffic is on the rise, significant growth can only be achieved if expansion goes ahead, Mr Holland-Kaye warns. During the first six months of the year, some 35 million passengers passed through the airport, a small increase of 1.9 per cent on the previous year’s figures. The opening of Terminal 2 in June largely influenced this rise, reports buyingbusinesstravel.com. Operating profits also increased to £380 million, up from the £373 million generated in 2013.

Mr Holland-Kaye says the airport has seen record passenger satisfaction scores for the past two quarters too.

“My vision is to build on that record of continuous improvement, driving Heathrow to win the case for expansion and become one of the best airports in the world – an ambition which will give the UK a great springboard to continue to compete successfully in the global economy,” he states.